Lehigh Valley chef in good company

New book features Bolete chef, along with other culinary stars.

October 14, 2010|By Diane W. Stoneback, OF THE MORNING CALL

Being featured in "Harvest to Heat: Cooking with America's Best Chefs, Farmers and Artisans" (Taunton Press, 2010) is the latest honor local chef Lee Chizmar has achieved during his tenure at Bolete Restaurant and Inn, Salisbury Township.

Other superstar chefs featured in the coffee-table-style book that's priced at $40 are Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Eric Ripert and Tom Colicchio.

Chizmar is celebrating with a five-course, $80 Book Launch Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Monday. It will feature his recipes for Oyster Chowder and Angel Hair Pasta with oysters, caviar, bacon and shallots with cream as well as some other recipes from the book. Optional wine pairings will be available for $35 to $45 additional.

Chizmar, among the pioneering Lehigh Valley chefs who first focused on presenting in-season, farm-to-table foods, has been featured on The Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," for his cauliflower soup. He co-owns the restaurant with Erin Shea.

The book spotlights Chizmar's use of Island Creek Oysters, said to be among the world's best. Chizmar began using the Island Creek Oysters during his tenure as executive chef of Great Bay in Boston.